State Champs

             State Champs is an American Pop-Punk band from a small town called Averill which is just outside of Albany, New York. The band was founded by Tyler Szalkowski (lead guitar) and Derek DiScanio (lead vocals) in 2010. The two put out a self-released, unnamed EP in 2010 and another EP in 2011 called Apparently, I’m Nothing along with former members William Goodermote (bass), Dave Fogarty (guitar), Matt Croteau (drums) who departed from State Champs in 2011, 2012, and 2012. The departed members were later replaced by Ryan Scott Graham (bass, 2014), Tony "Rival" Diaz (guitars, 2012), and Evan Ambrosio (drums 2012)

            Just over a year after the release of their second EP they were signed to Pure Noise Records. Their debut off the label was their third EP, Overslept, that September in 2012. They soon set off on tour to put their new music across the United States along with bands like We Are The In Crowd, Set It Off, and Candy Hearts. They also hopped across the pond to support The Wonder Years and A Loss For Words in both the United Kingdom and some parts of Europe. In 2013, they released their first full length album, The Finer Things, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. With their new album they began touring once again. State Champs announced a co-headlining tour with another Pure Noice Band, Handguns. They have also done a few tour dates of Vans Warped Tour in 2014. Later that year they released an acoustic EP with songs from nearly all their EPs and from The Finer Things.

            State Champs is an unknown band, but they are really amazing. I had the pleasure of seeing them as a support act about a week and a half ago on All Time Low’s Future Hearts Tour and they were amazing. They were actually the only band that I hadn’t already listened to before they announced that they were on the tour, but I am so glad that I found out about them because their music is just wonderful.